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Figure
C2.22: This
simplified view
of a seismograph shows
that during an earthquake, the
base moves but the inertial mass stays
still and a recording of the motion is made on
the paper. The paper is fed at a constant speed.
343
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
2.3 Earthquakes
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
What caused this earthquake? How did seismic waves carry this energy to other parts of the planet? The 1964 earthquake
measured 9.2 on the Richter scale. What does this number mean? How is it determined? In this lesson you will answer these
questions. The answers will form important background information for the next parts of Chapter 2, as you return to events
within Alberta and study the processes responsible for the formation of the Rocky Mountains.
Practice
15. Use the information from this lesson and Lesson 1.1 to define the following terms.
a. crustal plate
b. plate tectonics
c. seismic wave
16. Why do urban areas usually suffer the greatest loss of life as a result of earthquakes?
fault: a crack in
Earths crust due
to the motion of
one tectonic plate
relative to another
subduction: the
downturning of
oceanic crust under
another crustal plate
344
Subduction
Purpose
Science Skills
northeast
Analysis
The following labels have been omitted from the diagram:
fault, focus, epicentre, lithosphere, asthenosphere,
seismic waves, oceanic crust, and continental crust.
E.
A.
F.
B.
B.
C.
G.
D.
trench
H.
Figure C2.24: This diagram outlines an earthquakes focus and epicentre.
b. Concisely explain what happens to the oceanic crust as it descends into the mantle.
c. Use your answer from question 2.b. to concisely explain why it is quite likely that the mountains shown in
Figure C2.24 are volcanically active.
secondary
or
S-wave
crests
amplitude
primary
or
P-wave
compressions
expansions
Figure C2.25: P-waves are also known as primary waves.
troughs
Figure C2.26: S-waves are also termed secondary waves.
345
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
Utilizing Technology
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
Investigation
Modelling Seismic Waves with a Spring
Purpose
You and your partners will use a large-diameter spring (a Slinky) to
generate waves that model P-waves and S-waves. You will also
have an opportunity to observe the connection between spring
properties and the speed of the wave that travels through the spring.
Materials
Science Skills
Initiating and Planning
Performing and Recording
Analyzing and Interpreting
Communication and Teamwork
metre-stick
stopwatch
large-diameter spring (for example, a Slinky)
Dont overstretch the spring. Overstretching may cause the spring to become
permanently deformed. Dont suddenly release one end of the spring when
its stretched. The recoiling spring may strike and injure your partners.
Procedure
step 1: Model a P-wave. Generate a P-wave by thrusting your handwhich is holding the springback and forth
toward the other end of the spring. You can tell if this is being done correctly because the spring will remain in
a straight line. There will be little sideways motion. The main motion should be the compression travelling down
the spring.
step 2: Repeat the previous step until all members of your group have a chance to generate the model of the P-wave.
step 3: Record a sketch of your model of a P-wave. Be sure to include labels for compressions and expansions.
step 4: Model an S-wave. Have two members of your team stretch the spring out several metres across a
hard-surfaced floor. Have one partner hold his or her end of the spring still while the other partner moves the
end of the spring to the left and to the right at a steady rate. Adjust the rate of hand motion so the wave clearly
shows crests and troughs.
step 5: Repeat step 4 until all members of your group have an opportunity to generate the model of an S-wave.
step 6: Record a sketch of your model of an S-wave. Be sure to include labels for crests and troughs.
step 7: Design a simple procedure to measure the speed of a model S-wave when the spring is stretched to its safest
maximum length. Concisely record your method.
step 8: Record your measurements and calculations in an appropriate format.
step 9: Repeat steps 7 and 8 when the spring is only stretched to half of its maximum length. Record your results.
Observations
1. Record your labelled sketch of a model P-wave.
2. Record your labelled sketch of a model S-wave.
3. Record the procedure used to determine the speed of a wave.
Calculations
4. Record the data and calculations for the speed of the S-wave when the spring is at its safest maximum stretch.
5. Record the data and calculations for the speed of the S-wave when the spring is at one-half the length of its safest
maximum stretch.
Evaluation
6. Share the results of your calculations with other student teams.
a. Compare your speed values with those of other groups. How do you account for any differences?
b. Compare your procedure for determining velocity with the methods devised by other groups. If you had to repeat
this activity, what improvements would you incorporate?
346
S-Wave Model
P-Wave Model
compress
particle motion
wave direction
expand compress
particle motion
wave direction
wave direction
particle motion
ves
wa
S-
e
id outer cor
d
only
P-waves detecte
S
e
- w av e
Figure C2.27:
shadow zon
Shown are the changes in
direction of seismic waves as they pass through Earth. The sudden change
of properties at the mantle/core boundary causes the P-waves to bend.
St
wa
ec
v
dir s.
l
t o es a n
e
al l
d
trav ne
reg P-waves can ow zo
ions w
d
a
ith no sh
ly
ve e
wa on
P- w z
o
ad
sh
liq
u
cted
dete
solid
inner
core
le
sh P-w
ad av
ow e
zo
n
ma
nt
earthquake
epicentre
P-w
ave
s
347
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
If you look carefully at Figure C2.27, you will see a region on the side of Earth opposite the earthquake epicentre where
only P-waves are detected. There is a much larger region called the S-wave shadow zone where no direct S-waves are
received. What could prevent S-waves from travelling directly from the earthquake through the planets centre? The simplest
explanation is that the outer portion of the core must be liquid, since S-waves do not move through liquids. If Earth had a
uniformly solid composition from its crust to its centre, both P-waves and S-waves would move in straight lines at a constant
speed, as in Figure C2.28. Therefore, there would be no bending and no shadow zones.
Figure C2.29: Surface waves move along the surface of Earths crust.
Primary Waves
Secondary Waves
Surface Waves
6 to 14
3 to 8
1 to 6
mode of vibration
transverse: particles
vibrate perpendicular to
wave velocity by creating
crests and troughs
complicated combination of
transverse and longitudinal vibrations
transmitting materials
solids only
effects during an
earthquake
Practice
200 km
100 km
66 k
seismograph
II
I
III
lithosphere
asthenosphere
348
epicentre
focus
Time (s)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
A3
waves
leave focus
wave I
arrives at
seismograph
Earthquake Analysis on page 350 uses an applet that illustrates the key points in both
finding the epicentre and determining the Richter magnitude of an earthquake.
349
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.
Utilizing Technology
Earthquake Analysis
Science Skills
Performing and Recording
Analyzing and Interpreting
Purpose
You will locate the epicentre of an interactive earthquake
by using the applet titled Earthquake Analysis on the
Science 20 Textbook CD. You will also have an
opportunity to calculate the Richter magnitude
of the virtual earthquake by using your data.
Preparation
This application is completely self-contained and is quite
user-friendly. It would be very helpful to have access to a
printer. You will want to print key documents to not only
record your progress but also provide study materials to
prepare for tests.
Work through the application according to the
instructions. To create a record of your progress, print
the following key documents:
Tsunamis
Although it was a victim of The Alaska Earthquake of 1964,
the fishing boat in Figure C2.33 was not carried to the centre
of the town of Kodiak by earth movement. This damage was
done by a tsunami, which is sometimes incorrectly called a
tidal wave. The sudden movement of the sea floor that
occurred as the Pacific Plate moved
tsunami: a seismic
under the North American Plate
sea wave set off by
an earthquake in or
caused a series of enormous seismic
near an ocean basin
sea waves.
350
2.3 Summary
Earthquakes occur due to the sudden release of stored energy.
This energy builds up over time due to the motion of crustal
plates. When the energy is released, one plate suddenly
moves relative to anotherthis causes seismic waves to
travel through the surrounding rock. Primary waves, or
P-waves, travel the fastest, so they are the first to arrive at
some other point on Earths crust. Secondary waves, or
S-waves, arrive next and these tend to cause more damage
than P-waves. Although they do not travel as far as primary
waves and move at relatively low speeds, surface waves
tend to do the greatest damage during an earthquake. The
difference in the arrival times of P-waves and S-waves
can be used to determine the location of the epicentre of
the earthquake if data from at least three seismographs is
available. This information can also be combined with the
maximum amplitude of the S-wave to determine the Richter
magnitude number of the earthquake.
S-P
Interval (s)
Distance to
Epicentre
(km)
Maximum
Amplitude of
S-wave (mm)
Vancouver
77
760
Bella Coola
40
390
140
Prince George
63
620
20
8.0
600
7.0
400
Knowledge
1. Sketch two diagrams to illustrate the differences between
S-waves and P-waves.
2. Identify which type of seismic wave produces the most
damage in an earthquake.
3. Explain why it is incorrect to say that the seismic waves
produced by an earthquake start at its epicentre.
Applying Concepts
0k
62
Prince
George
390 km
Edmonton
Bella
Coola
760 km
Seismograph
Station
500
2.3 Questions
Queen
Charlotte
Islands
6.0
300
5.0
200
4.0
100
3.0
60
40
30
2.0
1.0
500
200
100
50
20
10
5
2
1
0.5
0.2
0.1
20
Distance (km)
Vancouver
351
Science 20 2006 Alberta Education (www.education.gov.ab.ca). Third-party copyright credits are listed on the attached copyright credit page.